Mumbai, Sep 24 (IANS) The Maharashtra government has constituted a high-powered Cabinet Sub-Committee, chaired by Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, to address emerging drought-like conditions across the state and initiate immediate relief measures.
Formed on the directions of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the sub-committee comprises nine cabinet ministers along with the Chief Secretary.
The Disaster Management, Relief and Rehabilitation Department issued the Government Resolution (GR) on Thursday following a state cabinet decision.
The sub-committee has been granted full executive authority to continuously monitor drought scenarios, water scarcity, and fodder shortages, ensuring dynamic policy decisions without operational delays.
The multi-ministerial panel headed by Bawankule comprises Girish Mahajan – Minister for Water Resources (Vidarbha, Tapi & Konkan Irrigation Development Corporations) and Disaster Management, Gulabrao Patil – Minister for Water Supply and Sanitation, Sanjay Rathod – Minister for Soil and Water Conservation, Pankaja Munde – Minister for Animal Husbandry, Environment and Climate Change, Dattatray Bharne – Minister for Agriculture, Jaykumar Gore – Minister for Rural Development, Pratap Sarnaik – Minister for Transport, Makarand Patil – Minister for Relief and Rehabilitation and Babasaheb Patil – Minister for Co-operation. Chief Secretary Rajesh Agarwal will serve as the member secretary.
According to the GR, panel members will conduct district-by-district inspections to evaluate real-time crop and water stress. The committee will hold weekly review meetings and submit comprehensive status reports directly to the Chief Minister and both Deputy Chief Ministers.
The committee will streamline crop damage assessments to recommend swift financial aid and compensation packages for affected farmers.
Based on available regional water reserves, the panel will execute district-specific drinking water rationing and supply strategies, including tanker deployments where necessary.
Taking the cattle census into account, the committee will establish local fodder banks and relief camps to prevent livestock starvation. The sub-committee is empowered to recommend immediate emergency protocols directly to the State Cabinet. The Department of Relief and Rehabilitation will serve as the primary coordinating body for all committee operations.
Minister Bawankule said the proactive setup aims to accelerate administrative response times and ensure ground-level relief reaches vulnerable agrarian communities before severe scarcity sets in.
The government’s move comes after the state cabinet, during its weekly meeting on Tuesday, approved the formation of the sub-committee to suggest measures to tackle the agrarian crisis and drought-like conditions after scanty rainfall.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visited Marathwada, Solapur and Washim districts on Wednesday and Thursday, while Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met farmers in Akola and Buldhana districts. They assured farmers that the government is firmly with them and will take all possible measures to help, adding that funds will not be a problem in implementing relief measures.
–IANS
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